Flexible feed-spout.



L. V. RATHBUN. FLEXIBLE FEED SPOUT. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 1v. 190s.

Patented Dec. 21, 1909.

' y Iza? (Wr/1W. www ww() following to be a full, clear, andexact delploy a closely woven cloth, such as cotton of light sheet metal.

LEwIs v. RATHBUE, oF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK FLEXIBLE FEED-SPOUT.

Application led August 17,

Specication of Letters Patent. Patented Dec. 21, 1909.

isos. serial No. 448,793.

T o all whom 'it may concern:

lBe it known that I, LEWIS V. RATIIBUN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Flexible Feed-Spouts; and I do hereby declare the scription of the invention, such as will ena`ble others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to provide an improved flexiblespout especially adapted for use in connection with gyratory sifters, but also adapted for more general use.

To the above ends, the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

In flour mills, for delivering the cereal to and from gyratory sifters, it has long been customary to employ flexible spouts or socalled stockings which have usually been made of cotton flannel. Under the continuous flow of stock therethrough, and especially when the stock "is coarse, these cloth spouts or stockings wear out very rapidly. A closely woven cloth, such as cotton flannel, has, however, been found very satisfactory flor confining finely ground material, such as our.

In accordance with myinvention, I emannel, or other suitable flexible material, which is impervious to fine dust, as an outer spout or' covering, and within the same I provide a flexible sectional spout preferably This inne'r tube takes the wear of nearly the entire flow of material, while the outer tube provides a' dust tight casing and fproperly conducts whatever small amount o material may escape outward through the inner tube.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views, I have shown the 1mproved spout designed for use in connection with a gyratory sifter, either to direct material thereto or therefrom.

Referrin to the drawings; Figure 1 is a view, chie y in elevation but with some parts sectioned and some parts broken away, showing the improved spout applled 1n workin position. Fig. 2 1s a section taken on the Fine m2 m2 of Fig. 1, some parts thereof being broken away. Fig. 3 is a vertical section, taken on the line m3 of Fig. 1;

and Fig.4 is a vhorizontal section, taken on "the line r4 .fz/:4 of Fig. 1.

For the purposes of illustration, we will assume that thenumeral 1 indicatesthe bottom of a conveyor or lazyboard and that the numeral 2 indicates the top plate of a gyratory sifter box, the said parts having, respectively, lfeed passages 3 and 4.

The numerals 5 and (5 indicate concentric annular metal collars or sleeves, the flanged upper ends of which are rigidly secured to the lazyboard 1. The collar 5 depends from and immediately surrounds the passage 3; while the collar 6 extends outward 'thereof and is preferably formed with u beaded lower edoe 7.

The flanged lower edge of a collar or sleeve 8 is secured to the top of the sieve box 2 and immediately surrounds the passage 4 thereof.

The numeral 9 indicates the flexible outer tube which, as above stated, is preferably of cotton flannel. The upper end of this flexible tube 9 telescopes over the depending collar 6; while the lower end thereof telescopes over the upturned collar 8, the upper edge of the latter being preferably formed with a bead 10. The ends of said flexible tube 9 are securel but detachably clamped onto the said collars 6 and 8 preferably by buckle-equipped straps 11.

The flexible sectional inner tube, as shown in the drawings, is made up of a multiplicity of tapered sheet metal tube sections 12, and an upper end coupling sleeve 13. This upper end coupling sleeve 13 telescopes around the collar 5, and is detachably locked thereto, preferably by bayonet joints, as shown, afforded by pins 14 on said collar 5 that engage annular slots 15 in the said sleeve 13. To lock the sleeve 13 against rotation, in respect to the collar 5, when the two parts are connected by the said bayonet joints, a leaf spring 16 is attached to the former and vis provided with a perforation through ably constructedof non-metallic and slightly gliab'le material, such as wood or leather.l i

i'milar hoops 18, which rest one on each of the said hoops 17, are ap lied to the upper ends of the sections wl2, t e extreme upper ends of the said sections being preferably turned inward and over the said hoops 18. The obvious purpose of tapering the sections 12 is to ermit the proper engagement of the hoops 1'? and 18 and the proper overlapping of the said sections 12 without increasing4 the diametern of the` inner tube in a direction from the top toward the bottom.

To prevent the lower end of the lower tube section 12 from Hopping around within. the outer tube 9, or within the lower collar 8, a suitable skeleton spacing deaice is applied to the said collar 8. AThis skeleton spacing devi as shown and preferably constructed, comprises a thin zig-zagged metal band 19, the outwardly extended angle ortions of which are riveted, soldered, or ot ler-` wise rigidl secured to the said coll'ar'8. To the inwar ly extended angle ortions of the said -zig-zagged band 19, a t in metal ring 20 is secured. The inner4 surface'pf this rin 20 is preferably lined with a band'21 of eather, or similar pliable material, which will reduce to a minlmum the wear on the Alower'end of the lower sec-tion 12, and which leakage of our, or other fine material, outward through the joints of the inner tube,

but this wil ,be cauf'ht by the outer tube or stocking and will'iev directed downward with the mainbody of'material through the passage 4.,'. Approximately the entire wear, due to therflow of materialA through the spout, will be taken on the metallic sections of thel inner-tube Hence,.this improved spoutwill, evenunder hard usage and even i where coarse materi'al'. is handled, last for a very long time. As has already been indicated, thisl improved spout is not limited to any particular use,`but is capable of general use-.wherever a flexibledelivery spout is required.

Where the bodies connected by the spout y are given straight line reciprocatin motion,

one 1n respect to the other, the rigi` sections of Vthe flexible inner tube may slmply be colrqinected .for pivotal movement, one on the ot er. A

tialldy7 as described.

@easela What I claim is 1. rllhe combination with upper and lower bodies,'one of which is ca able of movement in respect to the other, o 'a pair of concentric annular collars on said upper part, a collar on said lower part, a flexible outer `tubeconnectin the outer collar of said upper part to the co ar of said lower part, aacentering ring secured within but spaced apart from said lower collar, and a yieldingly mounted inner tube loosely .connected to the inner sleeve'of said upper part, and to the centering ring of said lower part, substantially as desc'rlbed.

2. The combination with u per and lower bodies one of which is capab e of movement iii respect to the other, a pair of concentric annu-lar collars oh the upper part and al collar on the lower part, of a flexible spout comprising a flexible outer tube detachably connected to the collar of said llower part and to the outer collar of said upper part, and an inner tubemade u of iexibly con-v nected metallic sections exibly connected to each other and detachably connected toA the inner collar of said upper part..`

The combination with an upp r mem-A ber having concentric inner andouter cole lars, and a lower member having a collar;

one of which collars is capable of movement in respect to the other, the sald lower collar havinfr a skeleton tube spacing member, of a fl'exib e tube comprisin collar of. said lower member and to the outer collar of said uptper member, and an inner tube madeup o metallic sections flexibly connected to'each other, the upper sectionv thereof being detachably interlocked to the inner collar of said u per member, and the lower section thereof eing held in position by said skeleton tube spacing device.--

4. 'The combination. with Iupper and lowermembers both having stock passagesfand one of which is capable of-movement 1n respect to theother, of a flexible oter tube connecting the stock passagesJ of said, two members, and a yieldingly mounted inner an outer tube of flexible material detacha ly connected to the tube arranged to deliver the -body of stockl from the passage of the upper tothe pasv s'age of the lower member, the saidl inner and outer tubes being spaced, apart to-jferm an annular chamber which has a discharge passage that opens. at its bottom into the stock passage of the lower member, substan- In testimony whereof I ailix in presence .of twol witnesses.

LEwIs v. RATHBN.

myv signature 

